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BURDASH [BUR-dash] or [BAR-dash] — noun. Meaning: Hermaphrodite; intersex; neuter; genderless. Origin: Canadian French berdache > Italian bardassa > entering European languages via Moorish Spain from Arabic bardaj, “slave” > Persian bardah, “prisoner”. In Chinook Wawa, the word burdash was commonly used to refer to accidental or incidental hermaphroditism or…...

ALKI [AHL-kee] (historical) or [al-KAI] (modern) — adverb. Meaning: Eventually; soon; someday; the future; times to come; in a little while Origin: Chinook  alkekh The word “alki”, appeared as the slogan on the seal of Washington Territory, and is the current state motto of Washington, and is usually translated as…...

TILLIKUM [TIL’-i-kum] or [TIL’-LI-kum] —  noun. Meaning: Person; people; relative; relation; kin; friend; ally; associate; folk; tribe; nation; population;   Origin: Chinook  tilikhum  people Commonly spelt “tillicum”, and sometimes pluralized in the english style as ‘tillikums”, the word means means “person” or “people,” and often has the connotation of a…...

TYEE [ty-EE’ ] or [tahy-EE]  — Noun, Adjective. Origin: Nuu-chah-nulth  ta-yi  “elder”, “brother”, “senior”; allegedly resembles Inuktitut toyom “chief” Meaning: A chief; leader; a superior; a boss; an officer; a master; a gentleman; a foreman; a manager; an important person; superior; best; important Occasionally spelled tyhee in some place names,…...

HYAK [HY’-ak] — adverb. Meaning: Swift; fast; quick; hurry; make haste Origin: Chinook ai-ak Used to denote speed, urgency, or even frequency, as seen in “hyak hyak” (so often) or “hyak kilapi” (return quickly), and could even be used as an imperative simply meaning “Hurry!” or “Hurry up!” The word…...

CHUCK [chuhk] or [tsuk] — noun. Meaning: water; liquid; river; stream Origin: Nuu-chah-nulth chauk, chahak; Chinook, tltsuk; Clatsop, tl’chukw, fresh water Used to refer to any fluid or body of water, such as “cooley chuck” (river), “tenaschuck” (lake; pond), “sagalie chuck” (holy water; magical potion; hot spring), and “cultus chuck”…...

TENAS [TEN’-as]  — adjective.   [ten’-AS] or [dun’-US] — noun. Meaning: Small; few; little; lesser; weak; young;  a child; a youth Origin: Nuu-chah-nulth tanassie; Toquaht tenas, “child” Opposite of skookum, hyas, and hiyu in differing contexts, tenas often occurs in place names in northern Cascadia, as at Tenass Lake, just north…...